Just in case you're looking for some way to keep pumpkins in the picture long after Halloween has faded away, Renee Cohen has a delicious option: southwestern pumpkin-pomegranate salsa.

Cohen, the chef/owner of CuisineArts in Mamaroneck leads cooking classes out of her own beautiful, well-equipped kitchen. On Nov. 20, you can learn how to jazz up your holiday staples in the “It’s All About the Holidays Workshop,” which includes the secrets to a great turkey (smoke it with a spice rub!), and how to liven your vegetables (roast them with a citrus finish), but you’ll also learn how to make pumpkin lentil soup, a host of other unusual holiday hits, including her salsa.

“The salsa is a great substitution for cranberry sauce, and you can make it ahead. It will last two days in the fridge,” says Cohen. Best of all, after you make the salsa— and the rest of Cohen’s holiday dishes—you get to sit down in her elegant dining room and dig in.

Details: $115 per student; workshop is from 10:30 to 1:30. Nov. 30. Call 914-924-2834 or book at cuisineartsllc.com

Pumpkin Salsa

Serves 6

2 ½ - 3 cups small dice fresh pumpkin

1 medium szie red onion, chopped into small dice

2 tablespoons canola oil

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (if hot, use only half)

Juice of 2 small oranges

¼ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup apple cider vinegar

½-3/4 cup fresh apple cider

½ cup roasted pepitas or fresh roasted pumpkin seeds

1 medium size pomegranate, seeded

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

½ medium size scooped out pumpkin, roasted, for holding the salsa (leaving the stem intact) (best to use pie or sugar pumpkins)

Heat a medium size pan, add the oil, and when hot, saute the pumpkin and the onion until the onion is translucent.

Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and the cider for about 2 minutes. Add the spices, orange juice, and brown sugar, and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. While the pumpkin mixture is cooking, add about ½-1 teaspon kosher salt and a little freshly ground black pepper. If the mixture becomes too dry, add more apple cider to the pan.

Remove the pan from the heat; fold in the jalapeno, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

If you are serving the salsa in the roasted pumpkin; fill the pumpkin with the salsa and serve on a dish lined with a festive napkin. Salsa can be made 2 days in advance; add the pumpkin seeds 1 hour before serving.

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Renee Cohen, an Instructor and Chef with her business CuisineArts, llc., holds her Pumpkin Salsa at her home in Mamaroneck, Oct. 20, 2015.(Photo: Mark Vergari/The Journal News)